Anybody try new Elixir/Taylor HD light strings?
 

I believe the HD stands for "high definition" though I don't know how that specifically relates to guitar strings. I haven't seen them available on line anywhere yet, though they should be out soon according to what various web sites suggest. I'm curious to hear what others think of them as well.

Bill

The strings were designed with Taylor Luthier Andy Powell specifically for the new 800 series. I bought a set and then called the factory and was told that I probably would not like them for my 416, because I was actually looking to retain the bottom end of my tone while easing up the tension of the treble strings for bending at lower frets. These are lighter at the bass strings and still have the medium guage treble E & B while dropping the guage of the G string to between a medium and light. This is probably due to the extra bottom end of the new performance bracing for this series

I tried them on my Eastman E20SS and I'm not impressed. They will be coming off soon. And I normally like Elixir strings.

Where do you find them? Every retailer and guitar shop I've called has said they are not available yet.

Elixer String gauges

.013, .017, .025, .032, .042, .053 - HD Light
.012, .016, .024, .032, .042, .053 - Standard Light
.012, .016, .024, .035, .045, .056 - Light-Medium
.013, .017, .026, .035, .045, .056 - Medium

What you see from the gauges shown is that the HD lights are (arguably) more evenly spread from string to string in relationship to the other string sets. Not sure I agree just from looking the gauges but I do plan on trying a set just to see what they sound like. I believe what Taylor was trying to accomplish was to keep the high end brilliance by increasing the gauge slightly on those strings to compensate from the swap to PB's which IMHO sound better on the low end but do not have the high frequency quality that 80/20's have.

Basically, from talking to Andy from Taylor, the new bracing on the 800 series opens up the bottom end more so than what the previous design yielded and also left the top more lively, so the medium sized strings on the bottom were overpowering the top end and losing some of the tonal characteristics typical of Taylors. In essence, the previous poster was correct in that it made the volume more even across the tonal range. Please consider the fact that this string set was designed specifically for the 800 series which is very unique in its design and tone signature. They will most probably disappoint those who buy them to try them out on another guitar. I repeat: these are custom designed to fit a specific series of instruments. Purchase these at the risk of underwhelming results if you do not own a new 800 Taylor.

I had a pack arrive in my mailbox two days ago from Elixir. Totally unsolicited. I'll probably give 'em a try next time I need to restring.

Back when I was playing more-standard scale length guitars (24.75"-to-25.4") I *always* preferred the type of gauge-arrangement that the HD Light set delivers.

Having the unwound strings as mediums always adds fullness/roundness to the treble side, and I always had plenty of bass oomph with the light gauge wound strings. Splitting the difference and going .001 greater in diameter for the G string for the HD Light set also makes a lot of sense.

I did try these strings on my 24" scale Simon Fay OM. The light gauge strings are simply a bit too floppy for me with the 24" scale, and so it's a forgone conclusion that I will stick with straight-mediums...for me, again, with a 24" scale guitar.

That said, if I did still play a longer-scale length guitar, the HD Light set would be my preferred pre-packaged string. A great sounding & great feeling string, finally in a pre-packaged-set that delivers a gauge-arrangement that is preferred by many fingerstyle players.

So these are a cross between traditional medium and light gauge strings. medium's and light's with the lower two strings being light gauge, the G, B, (high) E being medium gauge and the D string being a custom gauge in between the two to blend.

Does D'Addario make anything like this non coated?

Since these were designed for Taylor's new 800 series I'm kind of surprised they aren't co-marketing them.

I just bought some Elixir HDs but haven't put them on yet. I find that higher tension string sets tighten up the sound of the high E and B strings by taming the excessive sustain, which otherwise sound a bit too brassy or tinny to me on some guitars. But my cedar/rosewood guitar (a slope-shoulder Epiphone Masterbilt) doesn't respond well to a standard medium gauge set. So I'm wondering if the HD lights will be a good compromise on that guitar. I'll get the strings switched soon enough. As for availability: I picked mine up from the local Guitar Center -- the strings weren't on display, but they had several boxes under the counter.

That makes sense for the 816 possibly but the 812 and 814 are guitars that are designed with light strings in mind (not bass heavy, even with the new bracing) and the 818 still ships with medium strings and not the HD's.


.013, .017, .025, .032, .042, .053 - HD Light (gauge is the same as the standard light set with the exception of G, B, and E strings which are 1/100th thicker)
.012, .016, .024, .032, .042, .053 - Standard Light - x12, 14 (gauge same as HD light with exception of G, B, and E strings which are 1/100th thinner)
.012, .016, .024, .035, .045, .056 - Light-Medium - not standard on any Taylor guitar
.013, .017, .026, .035, .045, .056 - Medium - standard on x18 and previously on x16 (gauge is higher on E, A, D, G strings compared to both HD light and standard light)

Perhaps you mean 1/1000 thicker?

A .001 difference is 1/1000.

Thanks for the correction, absolutely.

Installed Elixir HD Lites on Taylor 712ce 12 Fret
 

Hi: after reading about the collaboration between Taylor guitars and Elixir in producing the Elixir HD Lites for the new 800 series, I looked up the specs for my guitar--712 ce 12 fret-- on the Taylor website and discovered the HDs are also newly spec'd for my guitar. So I bought some from The Guitar Center and they have made a world of difference. Where before I had difficulty getting harmonics to sound they ring out beautifully now. The overall tonal quality changed significantly. Thank you Taylor for constantly looking for ways to improve the guitar experience.

Bill